Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-07-08
A VERY QUEER CASE.
OANeURY'S DUMMY "A PHYSlO-
LOGICAL WONDER.

| Two Living Persons-Doomed to Gem
erai Dumbness by an Inexorable Psy-
eho-Phy geological Law
| For some time the pre-eminent interest Of
this old Connecticut town has centered in u
resident who is, from a physiological and
psychological view, wonder. His strange
ness can only be accounted for in the light of
a maternal ante-natal experience, which seems
| to influence all his biological phenomena
| John Tice, OF Dummy" as he is generally
called, aged about So resides in the eastern
| part Of Danbnry He is farm hand, engaged
most of the time i'll the service of Mrs RYDER,
who owns farm III the outskirts "Dummy's"
| sobrlquet indicates less than a half truth, for
be converses readily enough with two persons,
but is absolutely unable to talk to any one
else on earth. This statement necessitates
| retrospect
| "Dumrny's" mother, according to undis-
| puted witnesses, was amazonian, inflexible,
vndlctlve, unrelenting Her animosties
were as bitter as her friendships were en-
| during. Her husband was shiftless, indolent,
| a poor provider and bibuious, often arousing
! her wrath. About six months before @DuIn-
| my'sh birth her husband committed an act so
| heinous in her eyes as fairly to stife the ac-
| customed torrent of her vituperation In her
| fury she could only sulk and humble and
| grind her teeth. Finally her suppressed rage
! found vent in a single sentence:
| You brute! I'll never speak to you again
| to my diving dayir
| Until after the birth of her child she nursed
her wrath and kept her word She SPOKE,
| indeed, to no one except to her mother, to her
| friend, Mrs, McCann, young widow, and
the latter's little daughter The Nemesis that
| has pursued Dummy through life first man
iiested It's presence i'll infancy When alone
| with his mother, Mrs. McCann or her daugh-
.er, Johnny was able without any more diiii-
| Guilty than other children of his ge to frame
| "uids and TO unite them into sentences, but
| to verybody else the child was utterly un-
able to articulate He was never able. try as
| i's might, TO speak word to his father As
| Ar could not recite anything he was not sent
| 80 srhouI. He cannot read or write.
HE WAS NOT sHAMMING.
party of ronghs, some time ago, believ-
| Ing that he could but would not converse. in
| weighed him TO a secluded spot and threatened
| Tim with death il he did not speak to them
| and answer their questions He could only
| plead IN dumb show for his lie Then they
beat and fearlully naltreated him. fullv con
vinceI at last that he was not shamming
After ms mothers d-ath, he married on,. Of
| the two remaining persons he could talk TO-
thr widow Mr,'tnu He lives with her at
the present time, conversipg readily with her
and ite.r daughter. now Mrs Pu,I.el,.v a
single incident viii illustrate how he ..n,nmu-
nl,arrs with them
\ gentleman recently desired Ia buv cue If
| his ROSTERS and lie called u,loa Dummy and
the latters.wife He made his offer TO them
aud inquired whether it was accepted.
IN take him one side and see hat he saws
about IT," she replei to The visitor Then
bunny and his wife went out near an out-
house, beyond hearing but the visitor could
see ,pummyr~" Inns ,uoviuy and the mar in
evident conversation Upou their return the
woman accented tha nfyrr in her husbands
name He cannot converse with his v,;fa il,
another, presence His heor,nq opd unaar-
STANDING are roru,aI and rha t,lo ,a,,.ons h..